Gold Coast have ended their “season from hell” with a 14.19 (103) to 12.8 (80) win over St Kilda that featured a fiery melee belying the game’s dead-rubber status.

Both sides entered Thursday night — played in front of a sparse but passionate Saints crowd of 14,429 under the Marvel Stadium roof — playing for their teammates, with Nick Holman (Suns) and Dougal Howard (St Kilda) retiring on a night Bradley Hill notched his 300th AFL game.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Dead-rubber melee erupts between Suns and Saints

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But several players were still up for the fight in the fourth quarter with Brownlow medallist Matt Rowell and teammate Ben Long both involved for the Suns.

“Ben Long comes in, watch out for Ben Long, he can throw them,” Brian Taylor called on Channel 7.

“There’s a few who don’t want to be there but Bailey Humphrey’s right in the middle, he likes being there. Rowell’s had his second or third jumper ripped!

“Long in the background and Hugo Garcia going at it, and Long’s just laughing at him! Look at Garcia gritting teeth, he just wants to go him ... who would’ve thought we’d see that in the last game?”

Hamish McLachlan added: “Have we taken a phone call from Dana White? It’s the UFC.”

The melee almost threatened to start again after Rowell’s missed set shot from the boundary.

“This might keep going! Oh the crowd’s into it, the players are into it, everyone’s into it,” Taylor said.

But Kane Cornes, who had high hopes for the Suns entering the season, said it was too little, too late.

“Be nice if Gold Coast showed this level of fight in their nine-game losing streak, wouldn’t it?” he said.

“It’s a bit late. Kind of laughable that you want to show some aggression now.”

McLachlan added: “They were 7-3, in the top four, at one point premiership favourites. Then it just became a season from hell.”

St Kilda kept coming in the aftermath to the melee and Liam Ryan cut the margin with his second goal of the night.

“Both teams desperate for the win, the stakes have risen,” Cornes said.

But Ben King’s likely last goal for Gold Coast, ahead of an expected move to Hawthorn, sealed the victory.

The 315-goal forward is out of contract but a restricted free agent, forcing the Suns to soon decide whether to match and force a trade or accept draft compensation from the AFL.

King told Channel 7 his decision “will happen when it happens”.

“Yeah, it could be,” he said when asked if he entered Thursday night thinking it was his last game for the club.

“There’s still a lot to work through but whatever happens over the next couple of months I love this group of blokes and it’s been really special.”

Bailey Humphrey, fresh off signing a big extension just a year after exploring a move home to Victoria, made his case to step up in King’s absence next year.

The 21-year-old recorded a career-high seven clearances and one goal assist from his 16 disposals.

Touk Miller, Noah Anderson and Rowell also combined for 22 clearances from 105 disposals as the Suns notched a rare stoppage win in 2026.

Anderson admitted he “just needs to relax” once they complete their exit meetings.

“Just not think about footy for a bit. It’s been a tough second half of the year so it’ll be good for us to have a break,” he told Channel 7.

Holman kicked two goals in his farewell appearance and thanked coach Damien Hardwick and the club for the last call-up.

“Good way to finish it off. Great way to win it. It was kind of lucky we didn’t make finals or I might not have had a send-off,” he said in the rooms.

St Kilda pair Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni, who failed to finish the game, both endured shoulder troubles ahead of post-season surgery.

Hill said it was an “amazing” night as he became just the ninth Indigenous player to reach 300 games.

His brother and former AFL player Stephen was on hand among plenty of family, while ex-Fremantle teammate Michael Walters delivered a heartfelt speech in the rooms and presented Hill with his jumper.

“It was overwhelming. Sort of happy to get to the game and play, not the result we wanted but good to knuckle down and get better next year,” Hill said.

“I’ve just been feeling really good, running and trying to create, sticking to my strengths and working hard.

“Special to have Sonny do (the speech). I asked him to do it, he’s one of my best mates and I had the best time with him when I played for Freo, we had a special bond and still talk pretty much every day now so it was amazing to have him present the jumper.”